“I love you, too.” She gave into temptation and brushed her lips over his neck and collarbone. “I was miserable without you.”
“Me too. Woman, you brought me to my knees. Ask Wade. I was a bear without you.”
Even as she laughed, she continued kissing him, letting her tongue trace the long lines of his neck.
Liam gripped her and pushed he back a bit. “Dammit, sugar. If you keep this up, you’ll be naked instead of letting me do the honorable thing.”
She licked her lips, savoring his taste. “And what would that be?”
He brushed his thumb over her wet lip, his gaze concentrated on her mouth. “I want to take you to dinner. Somewhere other than Vice. I want to discuss our future.”
“Our future?”
He smiled. “If there’s one thing I know, Kate, it’s that I’m never going to watch you walk away again. I did last time because I knew you needed a better man. I wanted to be a better man for you. But this time,” he said, his voice trembling with a low growl. “You’re mine.”
The hairs on her arms stood on end at his wonderfully-possessive tone.
“So,” he said, kissing her. “Where would you like to eat? I know some nice French restaurants, or maybe a Korean barbeque.”
Kate grinned. “How about pizza?”
Liam laughed. “I offer her swanky dining and she wants pizza. Doesn’t sound gluten-free.”
“Fuck gluten-free. Let’s get pizza.”
He folded her in his arms and buried his face in the crook of her neck. “Whatever makes you happy.”
Chapter Seventeen
An hour and a half later, Kate and Liam sat at the back of Massimo’s Pizza Parlor, polishing off the remains of a large double-cheese and pepperoni pizza. Liam sat back, stuffed, and smiled when Kate peeled the pepperonis off his discarded slice and popped them in her mouth. His cock hardened at the sight of that beautiful tongue licking her fingers with glee.
Damn. He so needed to see her naked again.
But business first. He needed to know they were on the same page before he could feel comfortable enough to lose himself in her sweet body. “So, full disclosure from now on?”
She gazed at him for a moment and then wiped her hands. “That would be awesome.”
He leaned forward and grabbed her hands, linking them with his own. “I’ve been seeing a therapist. He’s helping me comes to terms with my issues. My need to control my environment. You, Michelle, my work. God, even my choice of work. Do you know what one of the oldest sayings of the casino world is, Kate?”
She shook her head.
“‘The House always wins.’ That’s how I treated my life. I needed to be in charge to make up for the times I had no power.” He raised one of her hands and kissed it. “I’ve blamed myself for years for things over which I had no control. Including what happened to me while I was homeless.”
She squeezed his hand but didn’t say a word.
“I was hungry. I was cold. As a fourteen-year-old boy, I had to deal with big men who wanted to fuck me and women who wanted to buy me. To get by I lost my virginity way too young and learned it was a commodity. People were commodities. I was a commodity. It took me a long time to realize I was wrong.”
She tipped her head and gnawed on her bottom lip.
“But I was one of the lucky ones. I was smart enough to get off the streets. When I went back to Aunt Margaret’s, it was as someone who’d seen too much, someone who held grudges. I don’t want to be that person anymore.” He exhaled. “It’s still hard for me to share the details, but I’ve shared more with you than anyone else. Can you be patient with me?”
She nodded, her eyes welling up.
“Thank you.” He watched her for a moment, full of fascination and love. “There’s one more thing. I want to open a piano bar with you. A proper piano bar, all on its own. With you as the headliner.”
“I can’t accept that. I can’t let you buy me a bar to sing in.”
“I wouldn’t be. We’d be partners. You can invest as much as you like, but the papers will show we’re co-owners. Hearing you sing was the first thing to get me excited in a long time. Not opening Vice, but you. Your talent. I will walk you through every step of the process, but I want you to be my partner. There won’t be a single gaming device in the building, I promise.”
“This is Vegas. Will people even come if there isn’t a slot machine somewhere or if I don’t show my boobs?”
“Actually, I don’t want to build in Vegas. I’ve been talking to Alex. He’s pointed out some great opportunities in New York. I’d like you to come with me.”
“New York.” Kate couldn’t seem to close her jaw. “I don’t know what to say…”
“Say yes.” He bit his lip, a silent reminder to himself not to be so pushy. “Or at least say you’ll think about it.”
It took a few seconds, but soon she bobbed her head. “I want to be with you.”
“Then we’ll take it slowly and we’ll make it happen. I want to make you happy, Kate.”
“Then take me home, Liam.” Her slow smile made his heart hammer in the best of ways. “Now.”
Liam could feel his cheeks in his ears. Not caring that they were in a pizza parlor, he stood, scooped her out of her side of the booth and held her in his arms. Kate laughed as he fished for some money in his pocket and plunked it on the table to cover their meal. Then, kissing her like his life depended on it, he carried her out the door.
Somber intensity made Liam’s eyes sparkle as they entered her apartment, but Kate could tell something had changed. Gone was the man who had things to prove. Gone was the man who couldn’t trust, who needed to bend life to his will. And gone was the little boy who was afraid of being alone.
The need in his eyes no longer filled her with fear. Perhaps because his desire was now tempered with sweet consideration and freedom from his past. His perceived sins no longer held him hostage.
She was glad he’d brought her to her apartment, rather than back to Vice. As much as she felt badly he’d sold his businesses, she knew she didn’t need to see the inside of a casino again. Too many memories. Too many ghosts. Like Liam, she’d seen things she never needed to see again.
He embraced her long and hard and she drank him in. The scratch of his beard as he nuzzled her neck. His warm breath as it drifted under her collar. His delicious cologne as it mingled with the scent of his clean skin. He touched all her senses, gave her a heady rush.
Her Liam.
He dug his hands into her hair and looked deep into her eyes. “The last time I saw you here…” Lines of regret furrowed his brow. She remembered how Hugo Vaughan had been all over her.
“Don’t dwell on it. The future, remember?”
Since Vaughan’s arrest, other women had come forward, accusing him of rape. Detective Baxter had assured her the loan shark would go away for a long time.
Liam brushed his thumb over her cheek. “No one will ever hurt you again, Kate.”
“I love you.”
“I adore you. C’mere.”
He held her against his firm body, his arms molded about her as he covered her mouth with his own. She opened to him and their tongues met in a dance of velvety surrender. He kissed her as if making a pledge to her.
He skimmed his hands over the top half of her body as they kissed, massaging her shoulders, playing with her hair. Tickling her ribcage. She arched into him as her body begged for more intimate touches.
Despite her need, he kept his touch light and sensual, rather than sexual. A few minutes of this took their toll on both of them. Kate panted as he rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes.
“Christ,” he murmured. “I’m trying hard not to rush things, but this might kill me.”
She let out a giggle, feeling his pain. “Liam, I want you so much.”